The term Laser by Barco was popularized by the Cinema City chain as a label for image quality in its auditoriums. It refers to deploying fourth-generation Barco laser projectors (Series 4) that replace the xenon lamp with a laser light source.
Laser instead of a xenon lamp
The key difference from older projectors is the light source. A xenon bulb gradually loses brightness and has to be replaced regularly, which brings both cost and planned downtime.
A laser source shines steadily for its whole service life, uses less energy and needs no lamp replacement. For an operator that means significantly lower running costs and fewer service visits.
Not just for multiplexes
Barco laser projectors are no longer found only in large multiplexes. They are standard DCI projectors that have been deployed for several years in single-screen cinemas in smaller towns across the Czech Republic.
They get there thanks to systems integrators. We design, supply and commission Barco laser projection for smaller auditoriums too, at the same image quality as in large cinemas.
Laser by Barco vs. HDR by Barco
Two things are worth keeping apart. Ordinary laser projection renders the image from DCP copies with standard dynamic range (SDR).
The real premium step up is the HDR by Barco format. It requires special projectors and HDR film copies with a much higher dynamic range, and it is still a rarity even among multiplexes.